My Favorite Things
by Kitty38
Summary: "I go to the hills when my heart is lonely..."


When the Bee Stings  
  
Overview: Maria awakes after a nightmare about her parents death. And she "goes to the hills when. [her]. heart is lonely."  
  
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Maria, child, I have something to tell you," the elderly woman gently said.  
"What is it, Auntie 'Vira?" Maria asked wide-eyed.  
Elvira sat the small girl on her lap, tenderly stroking her wispy blonde hair as tears stung the old woman's eyes. "There has been an accident," Elvira said. "A terrible accident."  
The 5-year-old did not take much notice in what her aunt was saying.  
"Maria," Elvira continued, "your parents were killed."   
  
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Eleven-year-old Maria Rainer woke in the dark room. "No!" she cried. "No!" She looked at her surroundings. She was in Aunt Elvira's cottage, and where were her parents? Realization soon hit the young girl. Her parents were dead. They had been dead for over five years. Maria stopped her screaming, in fear of waking up the other villagers. Thankfully, Aunt Elvira would not be able to hear being almost entirely deaf.  
Maria tried to go back to sleep, but the dream of her parents' death still haunted her. She imagined them in a sinking boat, calling out "Maria! Maria!"  
"I'm coming, Papa!" she would say in return. But it was no use. Maria would always awake in a cold sweat. She never knew how her parents had been killed, for she was never told of the details. But she tried to think of everything possible. For a while she had decided they were out on their boat when suddenly a gigantic wave came and knocked them into the water. But Maria thought that was very unlikely, for she had never heard of a big storm hitting Andersen Lake. Furthermore, the thought of her parents drowning in a storm terrified her. That was when she decided to believe their boat had simply sprung a leak and sunk.   
By now, Maria's deep thoughts whirled throughout her mind so much she knew she could not go back to sleep- at least not for a while. And since she was very thirsty, she decided to go get a drink from the well. So Maria stepped out into the old kitchen, took a small drinking cup, and timidly ventured outside.  
It was dark, so she could barely see, but she knew the path by heart. Her bare feet stepped in the soft mud and she felt for the well. Of course, Maria knew she was not supposed to go to the well at night, especially after the incident of Barrett Stevenson. Barrett had fallen down the well and drowned to death. Maria shuttered. How dare she think of another drowning! The girl began to turn back to the cottage, but knew she had no other choice. Her mouth was incredibly dry, especially after her screaming. Maria knew she should have filled the pitcher before sundown, but she had been playing with Macon all day on the hills.  
Maria had just reached the well and was filling up her cup when a gentle breeze wafted through her hair. Goosebumps spotted her body, and Maria knew she was getting "that feeling" again. On cool summer nights, as a soft breeze whispered through the window, Maria had a chill go through her, remembering how her mother used to rock her back and forth on the old wooden rocker.  
The rocker brought many memories, including stories and songs. Mum had always slowly sung the sweetest melody Maria had ever heard. Each word was music to the child's ears, and in time, Maria was able to sing along.  
Clutching the small drinking cup, Maria took a heavy sip of the spring water. It relinquished her thirst, yet Maria was still not entirely content. She still felt a yearning; a need for something, and Maria knew she could not sleep peacefully yet. The hills were awaiting her.  
Maria quickly set the drinking cup on Aunt Elvira's porch and raced down the hills as her heart beat faster each moment. Before long, she had passed most of the hillside cottages. Maria felt adventure stir throughout her and began to feel much better. Darkness had covered most everything, yet Maria was not scared. She knew the landscape perfectly. So perfectly that she was able to climb a tree, remembering all its dips and curves. Once Maria was atop, she realized that she was hovering beside Nonberg Abbey.  
A tear fell down Maria's eye as she thought about her mother. Visiting the abbey always brought back memories of her mother, mostly because her Aunt Adelaide was a nun. Adelaide had been mother's closest sister when they were young.  
Maria peered into the candle-lit abbey quarters, unable to see a thing. None of the sisters were up this late. Perhaps Aunt Adelaide, though. Aunt Adelaide was not a very good nun, even though she felt God's calling. She often spent hours into the night to read. Maria shook her head. She did not understand how anyone could enjoy reading that much.  
Maria began crying, remembering how she and Mum had visited Aunt Adelaide (or rather Sister Adelaide) at the abbey. Maria tried to wipe her tears away, however, fearing she would wake one of the nuns. Surely that stuffy old Mother Abbess would get mad. So Maria stopped her weeping. But her thoughts remained lonely.  
Maria tried to remember the song Mum had always sung. The words had been a distant memory, but they slowly came back to the girl. And soon in Nonberg Abbey, a small voice could almost be heard. A voice singing about soft rain, whiskered-cats, golden tea pots, balmy gloves, and chocolate-colored gifts . A voice singing about young ladies in light garb and navy ties, and snowfall, and seasons. A voice singing about hardships, dog bites, bee stings, deaths, and drownings. A voice that continued singing throughout the night.  
  
THE END! 


End file.
